1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a data processing method and apparatus for executing various data transfer jobs, and reporting the status of the data transfer jobs.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional digital copying machines obtain image data by reading an image formed on an original document by using a scanner, or bit-map image data expanded from a page description language (PDL) transmitted from a personal computer (PC) via a network. This image data is temporarily stored in a memory, such as a hard disk, within the copying machine. The image data is then read from the memory and printed.
Some conventional digital copying machines include a reserve copying function. That is, a memory, such as a large-capacity hard disk, is provided as an image buffer for the copying machine, and a scanner and a printer are separated within the copying machine. With this arrangement, even when the printer is in the warm-up state or is occupied with another type of job, a subsequent copying job can be accepted and reserved if the scanner is unoccupied.
By virtue of the above-described reserve copying function, even if the copying machine is occupied with many copying jobs, a subsequent copying job can be accepted as long as the input of an image from the scanner into the memory is completed, thereby increasing the throughput of the copying function.
When multiple copy jobs are involved, a PC may wish to check the execution state of each job. Conventionally, however, when a PDL print job issued by a PC is transferred from a print server on a network to a copying machine, the completion of the job is disadvantageously reported to the PC. It is thus difficult to determine whether a job issued by the PC has actually been completed.
Also, a copy job may be canceled while being executed, or may be abnormally terminated for any number of reasons. In this case, it is also difficult to ascertain in which manner the job issued by the PC has been terminated.
Additionally, in an apparatus for executing a plurality of types of jobs, there may be some jobs which do not require checking. Conventionally, however, it has been impossible to determine which jobs require checking.